Category Archives: Spice Blends

Do you know that making your own mustard is ridiculously easy? Up until just a few months ago, I had absolutely no idea. I recently learned after reading a newspaper article in the Medford Mail Tribune by Jan Roberts-Dominguez titled an Advanced Lesson in Homemade Mustards. Growing up, the only mustard that could be found in our home kitchen was the bright yellow mustard sold in a jar made by French’s. No offense to all you yellow mustard lovers but the mustard that I knew as a kid pales in comparison to the taste bud tingling spicy goodness that I am about to share with you. And what makes my Whole Grain Mustard shine is the addition of a really tasty beer such as Southern Oregon Brewing Company‘s Nice Rack IPA.

A good homemade Whole Grain Mustard takes about 15 minutes of your time to prepare and then needs to sit around untouched for at least 48 hours to develop its wonderfully warm spicy flavors. When your mustard is ready, be sure to serve your homemade Whole Grain Mustard on sandwiches, sausages, pretzels or even use it as a base for sauces or salad dressings. My favorite way to serve my homemade Whole Grain Mustard is to accompany it alongside some grilled brats and pints of some of Southern Oregon’s finest micro brewed beer. Now that’s pure bliss!

What’s great about making your own mustard is that the flavor combinations are endless and you can make it as hot, creamy, spicy or as sweet as you want. All you need to start is some good quality mustard seeds, liquid for soaking such as wine, beer or vinegar, toss in some spices, add something sweet such as sugar or honey and a sprinkling of salt.

Mustard Seeds

Yellow mustard (also called white) seeds are on the left and brown mustard seeds are on the right. Notice that the yellow mustard seeds are nearly twice the size than the brown mustard seeds. They are also a lot less pungent in flavor than the brown mustard seeds. I personally like the brown mustard seeds better because of the heat factor. Look for mustard seeds in the bulk foods section of your favorite specialty or natural food store. If you can’t find it locally, you can always resort to shopping online. Once you learn how to make your own Whole Grain Mustard, it’s doubtful that you will want to use store the bought varieties ever again. Thank you Jan Roberts-Dominguez for the mustard lesson and the inspiration! Enjoy! Tessa

Ingredients:

2/3 cup brown mustard seeds

1/2 cup yellow mustard seeds

3/4 cup beer (I used Nice Rack IPA)

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 Tbs sugar

3 tsp garlic paste

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp ground allspice

2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp salt or to taste

In a non reactive bowl or jar (glass, plastic or stainless steel) add the mustard seeds, beer, and vinegar. Make sure that the seeds are covered in liquid. If you need to add more liquid, use equal parts beer and vinegar. Just be careful, you don’t want your mustard to be too watery. Place the mustard covered in a cool place for 48 hours. Add the remaining ingredients and place in food processor. Blend mustard for about two minutes or until you reach your desired texture. Taste and correct your seasonings. Place mustard in clean jars with a tight fitting lid and store in the refrigerator for up to a few weeks. Makes about 2 3/4 cups.

If you ever peeked into my refrigerator, chances are that I have a big bottle of Frank’s RedHot Sauce stowed away on the refrigerator door. Actually, I have a whole door shelf dedicated to spicy hot sauce mixtures and blends. I love hot sauce. I love spicy food. Bruce thinks that I am crazy because I love that lingering burn from hot peppers. Little does he know, I’m perfectly fine…

My fondness for fiery food began when I was about 10 years old. I did not want to eat the bland and boring dishes that the other kids in my family were eating, I wanted what the adults were putting on their plates. Things have not changed. Now when someone asks me how hot I want my food, my typical response is “make me cry”.

The other day while shopping at a wholesale food/restaurant supply store, I stumbled across a container of Frank’s RedHot Seasoning blend in the spice aisle. I’ve never seen it in a regular grocery store before so I think it’s something that is meant to be sold to restaurants and commercial food establishments. Frank’s RedHot Sauce is a delicious blend of an aged variety of red cayenne peppers, vinegar and garlic. I use Frank’s RedHot Sauce in and on so many dishes that I prepare. And, when I first discovered that spice blend, I knew I had something amazingly delicious in my hands. I could not wait to get home and try it out!

As soon as I got home, I opened the lid of the container, poked my finger into the spice mixture and tasted it. It had that same Frank’s flavor that I knew and loved but it was in a dehydrated form perfect for sprinkling on french fries, homemade potato chips, popcorn, chicken or whatever my little heart desires. I then put the spice blend in a shaker for an even better distribution of flavor on my dishes.

My Frank’s RedHot Sunflower Seeds are a simple combination of three ingredients. Raw shelled sunflower seeds, an egg white and Frank’s RedHot Seasoning blend. That’s it. Plus, it’s so easy to make, you can have a pound of these delicious little snacks knocked out in about 15 minutes.

These little sunflower seeds are packed with serious cayenne flavor. You can adjust the flavor level to suit your taste buds by adding or minimizing the amount of Frank’s RedHot Seasoning that you choose to use… Enjoy! Tessa

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium sized bowl whisk the egg white until frothy. Add the raw sunflower seeds and Frank’s Seasoning blend. Go easy on the seasoning the first time out… You can always add more at the very end. Toss and coat well. Grab a large cookie sheet and spray with non stick spray. Add the sunflower seed mixture to the cookie sheet spreading out the sunflower seeds evenly.

Place the cookie sheet on the highest rack in the oven. Bake for about 7 to 10 minutes. Stirring the sunflower seeds often. Carefully taste a seed or two before removing from the oven to make sure you get the desired crunchiness and toasty color (they’re hot!). Remove from the oven, shake more Frank’s Seasoning on the sunflower seeds if desired, let cool and place in an airtight container. Lasts about 5 – 7 days.

It’s spring in Southern Oregon. The perennial herbs and plants have pushed through the soil and the chives are ready to bloom. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with making my own flavored salts. Last week it was a Serrano salt made with some leftover Serrano peppers that I had sitting in the fridge. I liked the flavor but it did not have as much heat as I had hoped. I will try again. Next time with triple the amount of Serrano peppers. I like heat and lots of it. So, I look at it this way. What is the point of Serrano salt if it does not set your taste buds on fire?

Early yesterday afternoon as I was tending to my pots of herbs on the back patio, I was inspired to make my own Herb Salt. Buying pre-made flavored or herb salts can be ridiculously expensive and there was is no reason that I could not make it myself. So I did just that. I made my own Herb Salt. My Herb Salt is a simple mixture of fresh picked sage, oregano, rosemary and kosher salt. That’s it…

Purple Sage

I just love the color of this sage. Any variety of sage will do in the recipe for Herb Salt. Just be sure to pick only the leaves and rinse and dry the leaves well.

Rosemary

I use lots of rosemary in my kitchen. It’s readily available for I have a large bush growing on the side of my home. I pick fresh rosemary all year long and I use it many Mediterranean inspired dishes. The needles of the Rosemary plant went into the salt mixture…

Oregano

And finally, oregano… I have plenty of fresh oregano growing in one of the big pots on my patio. It’s now starting to take over and beginning to compete with the other herbs in the pot. It may be time to start transplanting it or even giving some away to friends and neighbors. Fresh picked oregano tastes fabulous in marinara sauces and other Italian dishes. It also lends a nice flavor to my Herb Salt.

My Herb Salt is easy to make and can easliy adapted using other types of herbs. I chose to use rosemary, sage and oregano this time. I also have parsley, basil, thyme and tarragon that needs to be experimented with. That’s for another day…

Sprinkle Herb Salt instead of plain sea salt on pork tenderloin, lamb chops or chicken before tossing on the barbecue or grill for a delicious flavor. It can also be used in soups, stews and sauces. So the next time you have some fresh herbs that need to to be snipped, be sure to make some Herb Salt. Enjoy! Tessa

Ingredients:

1 cup kosher salt (coarse)

1/3 cup loosely packed rosemary

1/3 cup loosely packed oregano

1/3 cup loosely packed sage leaves

Note: You can use more or less herbs if you choose. You can also change up the types and ratios if you want.

Begin by washing and drying the rosemary, oregano and sage. Be sure to use only the leaves and not the stems. Add salt and herbs to a food processor. Pulse and then spread onto a small cookie sheet. Bake in a 225 degree oven for about 35 minutes or until the herbs are dry. Stir occasionally. Remove herb salt from oven and let cool. Add herb and salt mixture back to food processor and pulse lightly until desired consistency. I kept my herb salt a little coarse rather than fine. Store Herb Salt in tightly covered container in a dry place. Makes about 1 cup of herb salt.

And a final note. Be sure to save your leftover spice jars. They can be washed, reused and filled again. Just peel off the label, wash and dry well, fill with your new spice blend creation, and add a new label!

I love living in Southern Oregon. One of my favorite things to do during the winter months is to visit the Cascade Mountains. This year our family and friends stayed in some cabins up at Hyatt Lake over the weekend. Hyatt Lake is about an hour drive from our home but in snowy weather, it may take twice as long. There was at least 3 feet of fluffy snow on the ground and the temperature was a bone chilling 16 degrees. The only way we could get up to our cabins was with four wheel drive pickup trucks for there was nearly 10 miles of narrow snow packed roads.

A view up towards the summit.

Along the edge of Hyatt Lake. The lake was frozen over. During the summer months, Hyatt Lake is known for its wonderful trout fishing and camping.

A view across the lake. The ice on the lake was only a few inches thick and covered with snow. We would not dare walk out onto the lake for it was too risky and dangerous.

Sunset in the forest. It was eerily quiet. The only noise that we heard was the snow dropping off the branches of the trees. There were no birds, squirrels or any signs of wildlife. The birds either migrated south or are spending the winter in the valley below. Other animals such as black bear, skunks and squirrels are hibernating in their dens. Deer, cougars and elk generally find their way down to the warmer lower elevations during the cold winter months.

A view from the top of the mountain. You can see the ski resort at Mount Ashland in the background.

Snow covered Chinquapin Mountain. In late spring, when the snow has melted, Chinquapin Mountain is one of my favorite places to hunt for Morel mushrooms. When I get some mushrooms this year, I’ll be sure to post some delicious Morel mushroom recipes.

After spending a cold day in the snow, my Chicken Lentil Soup is a perfect way to warm up. My Chicken Lentil Soup is made with locally grown organic green Laird Lentils, carrots, onions, celery, chunks of tender chicken and flavored with my homemade Garam Masala Spice Blend. It’s easy to make, tastes delicious, and as an added bonus, it’s really good for you too! Enjoy! Tessa

Garam Masala is one of my favorite spice blends that I have in my pantry. It is a deliciously aromatic mixture of cumin, coriander, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, pepper and nutmeg that brings an exotic taste to many dishes. Garam Masala is an essential ingredient in traditional Indian cooking. I learned about Garam Masala only a couple of years ago and I have been a complete fan ever since. Garam Masala is generally made with whole spices, toasted and ground but, this recipe is a good substitute if you are in a pinch. It’s easy to make and can be made with ingredients you already have on hand. Enjoy! Tessa

Ingredients:

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Transfer to an air tight container. Makes about 1/4 cup.